McCoy (4)

My wolf never freaks out, but I have also never been that close to killing anyone. Just sitting in the Alpha's office was putting me on edge, and I needed the night to sleep off the murderous tendencies of my wolf or at least save them up for his scumbag beta.

The next day at 10, when it was set to announce the new member's ranks, that was also the time for me to issue official challenges. Practically, the whole pack was in attendance; I could see my brother lined up with the new members under 16. he was staring at me as I walked in alone, officially the only member to join as the level one fighter lead,

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Alpha started instantly, calling the crowd's attention to him, "we will join our new members into the pack. The leadership will call each new member to their group, and I will link them to the pack." I see Denis bring up a bunch of knives and bandages, which means this pack practices blood bonding. That isn't unusual; most packs do. Darrel walked forward with a list.

"25 children are joining the pack today, and I will read out their names and ages." That is what he did; with the kids at 25 and I wonder how many people were in the other groups, this would be a long ceremony. "and finally, Taylor Field's age is 15," Darrel announced. Taylor walked towards the Alpha but kept glancing back at me, trying not to make eye contact. The Alpha grabbed his hand and sliced it open, eliciting a hiss from Taylor. Then they were grasping hands.

"do you promise to dedicate yourself to the stability and protection of this pack?"

"I do"

"Welcome to the greenfield pack." Taylor walked away and was going to come to me until Darrel grabbed his shoulder and directed him to the side, keeping him safe since, at the moment, I could not be there with him. Medical went following three people, then chef 12 people, then education ten people, hunt nine people, then maintenance 27 people (that one was the hardest to sit through), then trackers seven people. Finally, it was fighters.

"My name is Anthony, the master of arms, and these are the wolves going up the ranks of fighters. We will start with level 5." The glazed-over expressions slowly faded as people realized this was the last group.

"Sarah, level 5 fighter," she walked proudly to the front. Being a fighter is usually an honor, even if you are a level five. "level 4 fighters Cory, Mathew, Sabrin, Tarren, and Jack" are also different because they call up the group instead of an individual. Fighters work as a team and are honored together.

"level 3 fighters Frank, John, Jaydon, and Recce," the level 4 fighters walked to the front. With each group, I was getting closer to my challenges. "Level 2 fighters Ashley, George, Zack, and Brian." Ashley surprised people there is still a bit of a stigma for female warriors. Her being a level two was a step in the right direction. At least it should be, but based on the look the Beta gave, I assume he is not a fan of her achievement. This riled my wolf not as much as last night, but he was defiantly outraged.

"Finally, we have the new level one lead, McCoy." I walked to the leadership, all standing together. The plan was in motion, and everyone knew I would challenge. Still, we didn't decide who I would be challenging first, so they all glanced at each other, nervous as I was for the outcome. The best fighter out of the leads was the master of arms. Hence, I decided to start with him for ample Gamma recovery. I walked to Anthony and nodded to him.

"I, McCoy Feilds, Challenge you, Anthony Bracket, for the position of master of arms," I stated with my hand outstretched. It is the tradition in this pack to start a challenge with a handshake. If the person takes your hand, they accept the challenge; If they don't, they forfeit the position. Anthony grabbed my hand.

"I accept your challenge," the crowd gasped. It had been a while since there was a challenge, and the last was when the Gamma challenged him for his position. We walked to the circles, and the people followed. I looked for Taylor, who was still beside Darrel. We started the fight slowly, testing each other. Warriors surrounded the circle's edge, nipping at us if either got too close to the edge. Soon, we were locked in battle, pummeling each other hit for hit. I didn't gain any ground on him until I noticed he favored one of his knees. He held me close, trying to grip my neck, and I slammed his knee, sending him tumbling to the ground. Wolves around the circle cried out.

The Beta stood and shouted shift. My black and white wolf sprang forward. He had been itching to come out for a while, but new members were only allowed once we were official members of the pack. Anthony's wolf was gray and a bit wirey; he looked like a wolf who had seen his fair share. Anthony was better balanced on three legs than one. We were clashing nails and teeth. I grabbed his shoulder and flipped him into the dirt. He attempted to keep me away from his neck by clawing my chest, but my wolf ignored it in favor of getting his neck in my mouth. There was a high-pitched and broken scream from the crowd. Anthony had no choice but to submit to me, relinquishing his title.

I backed away and shifted back. Naked and bleeding, but I won. I couldn't tell what I felt. It was as if I woke up from sleep to see this. Indeed, a wolf like me, who was a level five in my last pack, could not have one against a veteran fighter. The source of the scream during the fight was Anthony's mate. She ran to his side with Denis and some other medical staff. They talked about his knee and getting it fixed before he started healing. I felt guilty; I didn't want to hurt Anthony or his mate. Taylor broke from Darrel and pressed some bandages to my chest. I was still bleeding; then, I felt a blanket around my shoulder. One of the other warriors tried to cover my body since I was still standing there naked. One down, several more to go.